Iron Or Zinc Bioaccumulated In Mycelial Biomass Of Edible Basidiomycetes

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Biotechnology
• Food Science

Background:

• Medicinal mushrooms are explored for functional food applications.
• Biotechnology offers novel methods for producing nutrient-rich food sources.
• Metal bioaccumulation in fungi is a potential avenue for functional food development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate iron and zinc bioaccumulation in medicinal basidiomycetes.
• To produce metal-enriched mycelial biomass as a functional food alternative.
• To identify fungal strains with high metal uptake capacity.

Main Methods:

• Cultivating selected basidiomycete strains (e.g., Pleurotus ostreatus, Lentinula edodes) on malt extract agar.
• Supplementing media with iron (50 mg/L) or zinc (7.5 mg/L).
• Quantifying iron and zinc concentrations in mycelial biomass using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Main Results:

• Fungal growth rates varied with metal presence but were independent of bioaccumulation levels.
• All tested fungi demonstrated a higher capacity for iron bioaccumulation than zinc.
• Pleurotus ostreatus (U2-9) showed the highest iron bioaccumulation (3197.7 mg/kg), while P. ostreatus (U6-8) showed the highest zinc bioaccumulation (440.4 mg/kg).
• P. ostreatus (U2-9), P. ostreatus (U2-11), and S. commune (U6-7) exhibited the highest metal translocation rates.

Conclusions:

• Medicinal basidiomycetes can effectively bioaccumulate iron and zinc.
• Metal-enriched mycelial biomass represents a viable, non-animal-based functional food source.
• Specific fungal strains show potential for targeted metal enrichment in food production.